Wild chase on I-95 ends in New Rochelle

Published 10:29 pm, Friday, March 22, 2013

Photo: Contributed Photo

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State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two of the suspect's tires blew out. less

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two of the suspect's tires blew out. less

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Image 3 of 4

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two of the suspect's tires blew out. less

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Image 4 of 4

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two of the suspect's tires blew out. less

State police assisted by Greenwich and Stamford police chase a car southbound on Interstate 95. The chase which approached 70 mph ended at a roadblock set up by New York State Police in New Rochelle after two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Wild chase on I-95 ends in New Rochelle

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STAMFORD -- Two Stamford police officers are being treated at Greenwich Hospital for minor back and neck injures after being rammed by a New York driver during a wild Friday afternoon chase down Interstate 95 into New York's Westchester County.

Patrol Lt. Chris Baker said Stamford police were called by State Police to help stop a black car driving erratically through Stamford on I-95.

Patrol officers caught up to the car driving at 30 to 40 mph and tried to pull it over between of exits 7 and 6.

Baker said when someone is engaged in a slow-speed chase it could be indicative of the driver being extremely drunk or intoxicated. When the driver made no attempt to stop, a Stamford officer drove up next to the car to get a look at the driver when his vehicle was rammed and forced over to the right shoulder of the highway, Baker said.

It was not clear whether the cruiser hit a guardrail on the right side of the road.

The driver of the car with New York plates then sped up to approximately 60 or 70 mph, Baker said. At exit 5, State Police officers threw out stop sticks, which blew out one of the car's front tires. The car kept going, although at a reduced speed of 40 to 50 mph, Baker said.

Between exit 5 and exit 4, the suspect's car rammed a second Stamford police cruiser as many as three times. Stamford officers maintained the pursuit with a state police trooper joining in at exit 2.

When the car crossed the state line, a New York state trooper was waiting and in the vicinity of Port Chester the car rammed the New York trooper's vehicle, Baker said.

Just before the New Rochelle toll, traffic began to tie up and while under an underpass the driver of the car tried to weave through traffic quickly moving from the far left lane to the right breakdown lane and ended up smashing into the rear of a New York state trooper, Baker said.

That collision stopped the car, but even then the suspect driving it tried unsuccessfully to get away.

Stamford officers along with Connecticut state and New York state troopers then took the suspect into custody by handcuffing him.

Baker said he could not tell whether the man was under the influence or was just acting in an emotionally-disturbed manner as he was being taken into custody.

The suspect appeared to be in his mid to late 30s. Because New York state troopers took the suspect into custody, Baker said he did not know all the charges with which the suspect will be charged.

Baker was on the way to Greenwich Hospital to check on his officers at 6 p.m.

"I am truly impressed and proud of my guys for their actions. One-hundred percent, as the result of their actions -- it was a busy Friday rush hour -- how they acted, they brought this chase to a conclusion where nobody else was hurt," Baker said.

"When you come to work to prevent harm and injury to the general public, these types of situations are very complex and these officers acted with a depth of experience and stopped this guy."